


Falling for You

by Misskiku



Series: Bederia Goodness [6]
Category: Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Hop & Marnie make and appearance, Ice Skating, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:27:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28301583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Misskiku/pseuds/Misskiku
Summary: This fic is my secret santa gift for my friend Kagura! I hope you like it, Kagu...!!!! <3 <3 <3Gloria invites Bede to come ice skating with her, Hop and Marnie at a frozen lake between Postwick and the Crown Tundra.Bede agrees to join, despite never having ice skated before.It can't be all that hard, right?With his pride on the line, and his feelings for Gloria in tow, Bede finds that ice skating is harder than it looks- especially when your crush is watching.
Relationships: Beet | Bede/Yuuri | Gloria
Series: Bederia Goodness [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1630534
Comments: 13
Kudos: 61





	Falling for You

**Author's Note:**

  * For [my friend Kagura](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=my+friend+Kagura).



> Merry Christmas everyone...!!

Bede stepped out of the train station and into the biting cold. Fresh snow crunched beneath his heels. Numbingly frosty air chilled his lungs, and his sigh plumed before him in a cloudy white puff as he began to trek towards the small town nestled between Postwick and the Crown Tundra. 

A pair of unused skates dangled at his side, the blades shiny and new, and Bede stiffened as he spied the frozen lake and the numerous bodies gliding seamlessly across the ice. Laughter and shrieks filled the air. No one seemed to care that they were suspended inches above the murky, frigid depths of a lake that would be all too glad to swallow them whole. Bede clenched his jaw, the pit of his stomach tightening. It was cold. Too cold, too crowded, too noisy. He didn't even know what was so appealing about skating on a frozen lake in the first place when ice skating arenas existed, didn't even know why he had agreed to come here at all… 

A flash of pink caught his eye. A graceful figure cut across the ice, dark brown hair flowing from under a pale pink beanie. Her arms spread to her sides like the wings of a Swanna, and she lifted her right foot off the ice, extending it behind her as she glided flawlessly for a moment where all Bede could do was stare. Grey woolen jumper, pink beanie, tartan scarf, dark brown hair. A smile that stole his breath away. 

_ Gloria. _

The reason he had agreed to come here at all, the one person who's requests he couldn't deny. 

And she was skating like an Olympic athlete when he'd never set foot on ice before in his life. It was a side of Gloria so unexpected it left him speechless. Unadulterated awe surged inside him, filling his chest, his lungs, with warmth as he watched her glide elegantly across the ice. 

_ Arceus, she's so...  _

Even from where Bede stood at the edge of the lake, he could see the way her smile lit up her eyes, the cute dimples on her cheeks. 

_ Beautiful. _

In that second, Gloria's eyes landed on Bede. Of all the people crowded around the lake, the bustle of children scrambling through the snow, her gaze fell on him. Recognition swept over her face, and her picturesque pose shattered as she gasped, her smile widening, and skated over to him. 

"Bede!" she called, practically leaping off the ice without slowing her pace at all, and she trotted over to him with her skates crunching in the snow. "You made it!" 

Behind her, Hop and Marnie followed, and drifted over to the edge of the lake. 

"And here I thought you wouldn't show," Hop said. A mischievous grin widened across his face. "Didn't think you'd be willing to fall on your ass in front of us!" 

"I'm so glad you're here." Gloria beamed, pointedly ignoring Hop's callous remark. "It's usually just the two of us, so I'm really happy you and Marnie could join us this year!" 

"Do you even know how to skate?" Hop eyed Bede's unblemished skates, shiny white and obviously brand-new. Amusement flashed across his face, and Bede shot back a glare. 

"Of course I do!" 

_ How hard could it be? _

"It's very similar to roller bladin'," Marnie said. "Didn't take me long to get the hang of it." 

"We left our stuff by that tree," Gloria said, pointing to a towering pine a few metres from the lake. 

Bede followed her gesture and nodded. Beneath the tree lay a pile of bags and shoes, discarded in a heap. He shuffled over through the snow, and quickly changed his shoes for his ice skates, using the tree for balance as he refused to sit on the snow for even a second. Despite the numerous, thick layers Bede had bundled himself up in, he still felt cold. The biting air sapped the heat from his cheeks, and he tugged the collar of his jacket higher, wishing he'd worn a scarf. 

With another sigh that clouded in the air, Bede steadied his feet on the ground, testing his balance. It wasn't too bad, he could hardly tell that he was balancing on the blade of his skates, rather than shoes. He experimentally shifted his weight, shifted from foot to foot, and nodded in satisfaction. 

Simple. He didn't see what all the fuss was about, especially when children of all ages skated across the ice like it was nothing. A wave of confidence, of relief, fell over him. He held his head high and marched over to the lake, spying Gloria, Hop and Marnie slowly drifting along. A foot raised to step onto the ice, he caught Gloria's eyes. She smiled at him. 

_ Perhaps this won't be so bad after all.  _

Bede was wrong. So very, very wrong, when the second his skate touched the ice, his foot slid out from beneath him. He saw the sky, the clouds, then stars. Flashes of light behind his eyes. Pain. He groaned, hissed through his teeth. Lay there for a second as the length of his body throbbed where he'd contacted the hard ice. 

Then the mortification set in. 

"Arceus, Bede!" 

_ Gloria. _

He blinked and forced himself to sit up despite the pain, despite the protesting of his stiff and aching back, before Gloria could skate over to him. 

"Are you alright?!" 

She fell to her knees, brow furrowed with concern, and Bede couldn't - wouldn't - meet her eyes. Shame crawled up his throat. His hands trembled into fists, gloved fingers scraping across the ice in chagrin. 

He'd fallen. Completely stacked it, right in front of her, right after lying through his teeth that he'd skated before. The ignominy of it all burned in his chest. It ached. 

"Damn, that looked like it hurt," Hop said, sucking in a breath. 

Bede's lungs blazed, his blood crackled, with the urge to snap, to hiss and bite at them to leave him be. 

"You okay there? Did you hit your head?" Marnie's voice echoed in his ears.

Overwhelming humiliation choked him, tight around his throat. Nauseating and bitter. 

"Come on, he doesn't need all of us crowding around him," Gloria said. "You two go on ahead. I'll help Bede up." 

"If you say so." Hop shrugged, before turning and skating off with Marnie. 

Silence fell. A bubble of deafening silence, removed from the laughter, the chatter, the world that continued on around them. 

Gloria pierced that silence as though it was as simple as bursting an overfilled balloon.

"It always takes me a while to find my balance when I haven't skated for ages," she said with a gentle laugh. "I fall on my butt for the first hour and a half, I swear! You should've seen me earlier!" 

It was her laugh that made him lift his gaze and look at her. Her sweet laughter, quiet and bashful, as though nothing had happened at all. 

And he could breathe again. 

"Somehow, I don't believe that," Bede found himself saying. "You looked like you were born on the ice, the way you were skating." 

Gloria laughed sheepishly. "That's because Hop and I have been here for a few hours already. I didn't want anyone to see me fall on my butt like a newborn Stantler." 

The weight on his chest, the vice around his throat, lifted. 

She had the same fear as he did. 

"And here you had me conned into believing you were an expert at ice skating." He shook his head, playfully chiding her. "I had no idea you could be so conniving." 

"Only because no one wants to see the Champion fall on her butt." 

"I'm not so sure about that," Bede said with a teasing smile. "That sounds rather amusing to me." 

Gloria scoffed, her lips twitching as she tried, and failed, to swallow her amusement. She could hardly pretend to be offended when her eyes twinkled with mirth. The sight made Bede's heart soar. His mortification forgotten, he'd completely ignored the fact that he was still half-lying on the ice where he'd fallen, Gloria still kneeling beside him. 

She offered her hand, holding it out towards him as she deftly got to her feet. Bede stared at it for a moment. His heart thumped, and he no longer felt the cold, warming from the inside out as he slid his hand into hers. 

And completely missed the fact that she'd offered her hand to pull him to his feet. His breath sucked from his lungs as he was heaved upwards. His skates slid forward. Skidded across the ice, shooting on either side of Gloria's feet, and Bede slammed right into her.

"Whoa!" 

He stopped. Knees buckled, his right leg between Gloria's, hips wedged against her thigh, she'd caught him with an arm around his back before he could hit the ice again. Bede blinked, stunned, as he stared up at her. 

The way she'd caught him, it was though they were in the middle of a dance and she'd dipped him. He was breathless, heart pounding from the almost-fall and from how dangerously close they were. He could feel every rise and fall of her chest against his. 

"You alright?" Gloria asked, a mix of relief and laughter softening her voice. "That was close!" 

"Uh- yeah, I-" He couldn't speak. Words tangled on his tongue, heat flooding his face and making it impossible to think when she was this close. 

He couldn't pull away, either. His skates couldn't grip the ice, his feet sliding and slipping as he tried to regain his balance. He was the one wobbling like a newborn Stantler now. With Gloria's arm around his back, holding him flush against her body, his mind scrambled. 

She was so close. 

"Don't worry, I've got you," she said, giving him an understanding smile. "I'm not gonna drop you."

Right now, that was the least of Bede's worries. He almost wished she would drop him and put him out of his misery already. It took a couple of failed attempts before he could regain his balance, and instinctively reached for the only stable thing around when he wobbled- the only stable thing being Gloria. He latched onto her arms before he could stop himself. 

"There you go," she said, still smiling. Still understanding, ever patient with him. She gently took hold of his hands, peeling his vice grip off her arms, as though it was the most natural thing in the world. 

Heat shot through Bede's fingers, blazing alight against her hands. 

"Shift your feet a bit wider," Gloria suggested. She tapped the inside of his left skate with hers. "Yeah, like that. It's more in line with your shoulders this way, it'll be easier to balance." 

With his heart in his throat, Bede could hardly focus on anything Gloria said, following her instructions as he stared down at their intertwined hands. The warmth he was feeling through his gloves couldn't be hers, but it felt all too real, all too similar, as if there was nothing between their hands at all. No gloves, no frosty air. 

"Do you think you can balance now?" Gloria asked. 

Bede snapped his gaze away from their hands. "Of course. It can't be that difficult." 

"Alright, then. Let's try this-" 

She tugged him forward. He lurched, breath catching, skate slipping out from beneath him. He kicked the ice. Staggered. Gripped her hands tight as he fumbled and almost fell onto her again. 

Then he was sliding. Slowly drifting forward, pulled along by Gloria as she skated backwards with ease, and he shot a searing glare at her. Hot enough to melt the icy panic that had stolen his breath, his voice, away. 

"Gloria-!" 

"Sorry!" She laughed. "But look, you're balancing now!" 

"No thanks to you." 

She glanced over her shoulder, making sure the path was clear, before giving him a rueful grin. 

"Guess I should've warned you, huh?" 

"A warning would have been appreciated." 

He sighed, feeling the nervous thundering of his heart against his ribs. His gaze dropped to their hands, to his feet. They glided across the ice at a slow and steady pace, Gloria pulling him along with every careful stroke of her skates. 

"See if you can lift your foot off the ice," Gloria said, "just a little, and then sort of… slide it forward." She laughed. "Sorry, I'm not the best at explaining how to ice skate, I just kinda… do it." 

He raised an eyebrow at her, and she bit back a sheepish smile. Her instructions were vague, but he decided to give it a try regardless, and looked down at his feet. 

"Uh-uh! You've got to look up! At me, not your feet!" 

His eyes shot to hers, and he felt another wave of warmth sweep across his cheeks. He was meant to look at her? The whole time? Staring into her eyes, her hands securely holding his, he couldn't concentrate on anything at all. The cold left a ruddy flush on her cheeks, on the tip of her nose, and Bede swallowed thickly. He wasn't used to being so close to her, face-to-face. 

"You… You don't have to do this, you know." He looked over her shoulder instead. "I'm perfectly capable of managing on my own." 

She gave his hands a gentle squeeze. 

"I know. You'll probably get the hang of this in no time," she said, "but I don't mind. This is actually really peaceful. Hop always tries to turn this into a competition, we're always seeing who can skate laps the fastest or who can spin the longest without falling on their butt." 

She laughed at that. 

"Of course, I always win. Hop can't hold a candle to me when it comes to ice skating!" 

Her smile flashed, a competitive blaze in her eyes, and Bede didn't question her capability on ice- not after what he'd seen earlier. 

"But, y'know," Gloria continued, "it's nice to take it slow sometimes. And I like spending time with you, so this isn't a bother at all." 

It was her turn to stare at their feet now. Her cheeks coloured darker than from the cold alone, and Bede couldn't help but stare. Her bashfulness was adorable in its own right. Lips pursued, cheeks flushed, her eyes flicked from their feet to his face, before shooting elsewhere again. He forced down a smile, the delighted smirk that made his lips twitch as he fought it back, and took the moment to shift his feet and follow the instructions she'd given. Holding her hands, he felt steady enough to try. With slow movements at first, he slid his skates across the ice, left then right, left then right. Each second gaining confidence, and a sense of what he was doing. 

Gloria's smile returned. "See? You're getting the hang of it!"

"Naturally. I knew it couldn't be that difficult, since-" 

She released his hands. One foot in the air, Bede snatched for where her stability had been a second ago, for her hands, and she lifted them out of his reach. His skate hit the ice hard. Heart lurched in his chest, feet sliding, shifting, and he balked at Gloria as she kicked away from him. 

His mind span. He wobbled and buckled at his knees, then stiffened to keep his balance. Gloria was gone. The icy expanse of the lake spread out before him. Around him. He slowed to a stop. Fear and frustration crawled up his throat, a curse forming on his lips, and he snapped his head around to reprimand Gloria with the icy venom burning in his lungs- 

-and she was right beside him. Her hand slid into his as though it'd never left. Warm and firm, she gave his hand a squeeze, gave him a smile. 

"You-" 

The shock of it all silenced him. He huffed. Scoffed. Drew in a deep breath and sighed, looking away from her. 

"Arceus, Gloria. Haven't I already made a fool of myself enough in front of you for one day?" He clicked his tongue and hid the relief he felt from holding her hand once again. "Or would you rather I fall flat on my face?" 

"Sorry!" she apologised, though her voice was filled with amusement. Laughter crinkled the corner of her eyes. "I just wanted to see how you'd go without me for a second. Didn't mean to give you a fright." 

"I think you rather like having me depend on you," Bede said, quirking an eyebrow at her. "I can't help but feel like you're toying with me here. You seem to be enjoying yourself at my expense." 

Gloria pressed her lips together sheepishly, utterly and completely caught out. 

"Did you have this planned all along?" Bede's heart sang as she bit the inside of her cheek bashfully and  _ Arceus _ , he couldn't stop himself from teasing her. "You wanted to have me all to yourself, did you? Who would've known the Champion could be this selfish?" 

"I-I mean, that's… not entirely wrong," she admitted quietly. 

_ It- It wasn't…? _

How was he supposed to respond to that? The girl he was utterly enamoured with had just admitted that she'd wanted him all to herself. 

He had to be dreaming. Perhaps he'd knocked himself out cold when he'd fallen earlier, and his brain had spun this unbelievable scenario in place of his consciousness. Gloria went beet red, cheeks puffed with embarrassment. If this was a dream, could he push his luck a little? He held her hand tighter. Wished he could lean closer to her, to test whether or not this was conjured by a knock to his head or something truly real. 

Gloria flicked her eyes up to meet his. "It's just… I haven't been able to see you much lately. Things have been busy ever since my Ponyta, Pearl, hatched, and I didn't get to thank you in person or anything for all your help." 

"Oh?" His heart skipped, danced, fluttered away in his chest, and he was smiling. Smirking. "I didn't realise you missed me that much. Were you lonely without me?" 

He couldn't stop himself. Not when his very soul filled to the brim with delight. 

"I-I wouldn't say 'lonely,' but…" Her hand twitched in his, fingers flexing, before she returned the squeeze he'd given earlier. "I guess I did miss you. A bit…" 

_ Was he dreaming? _

"Wh-What? Why are you looking at me like that?" She pouted, and levelled a disgruntled glare at him.

"Like what?" 

"Like a Meowth that got the cream! I thought- I thought maybe you felt the same or something, but you're just smirking at me!" Gloria huffed. "Did you… not miss me at all?" 

_ Oh, Arceus.  _

_ What was she doing to him? _

"What do you think?" He dodged her question, dodged her gaze, and instead answered with another squeeze of her hand. "Why else did you think I'd agree to come here when I've never set foot on ice before?" 

"You really mean that?" 

Her voice was breathless. Quiet as a whisper, full of hope and longing. It drew his eyes back to her. 

He wished he had her scarf, any scarf at all, so he could bury the heat on his face out of sight. 

"I wouldn't have said so otherwise," he replied. 

It was worth admitting that, worth the stammering of his heart, when she smiled. 

Bede cleared his throat. "Are we going to keep skating, or would you prefer that we stand here for the rest of the day until we freeze?" 

"Let's keep skating," she said with a laugh. 

* * *

Gloria's hand was warm in his. Her grip was solid, her balance firm, and falling wasn't even in the back of his mind anymore as they skated together around the lake. Gliding along with her aimlessly was peaceful. More than that, Bede found it enjoyable, and his confidence grew with every lap. 

No longer did he care about the people around them. The noise faded into the background- the unpredictable shrieks of those unfortunate enough to fall, the drone of conversations, none of it mattered. None of it bothered him. 

The lake could have been void of anyone but him and Gloria, and he wouldn't have noticed. They talked about anything and everything, hand-in-hand, letting the time pass them by without a worry. 

Even when they'd skated enough laps for Bede to balance on his own, neither pointed that out. Their hands remained together. They remained close. Sharing stories, making up for the time they'd spent apart, making each other laugh. 

There was nothing Bede loved more in the world than making Gloria laugh. She laughed shamelessly and loudly, sometimes even snorting- it caught her off guard every time, and she'd slap her hand across her mouth in mortification before bursting into another round of breathless laughter. 

He didn't even mind the cold as it began to seep into his bones, if he could remain by her side for a few moments longer. Bede suppressed a shiver when another frosty breeze swept by. 

"It's getting a bit cold, isn't it?" Gloria noted, slowing to a stop. "Do you wanna take a break? There's a place we can grab a hot drink at not far from here, if you're up for a bit of a walk." 

As long as it meant he could stay with her, he didn't care at all. 

"Sure. I could go for a hot drink after all this," he said. 

"Great!" 

She turned, and slowly glanced across the lake.

"Hang on, where's Hop and Marnie?" 

He'd forgotten they were here as well. Bede followed Gloria's gaze, and scanned the lake and the surrounding clusters of people. Neither Hop nor Marnie were anywhere in sight. 

"Where'd they go?" She gave the lake another once-over, before huffing. "You know what, forget them. Let's go get a hot drink before we freeze out here." 

Hands still linked together, they skated over to the edge of the lake. Gloria stepped off first onto the snow, and released Bede's hand when he joined her on solid ground. 

He missed her warmth the very second she let go. He felt decidedly colder for it, and began to shiver as they trudged through the snow to where they'd left their belongings. It was only when he had proper shoes back on his feet that he felt secure in his balance once again.

"Look, even their stuff is gone," Gloria pointed out. "Did they ditch us completely?" 

She folded her arms and glanced around them, frowning. She clicked her tongue before pulling out her phone. 

"Not even a message. Thanks, Hop. That's real nice." She pouted, and stuffed her phone into her pocket. "Whatever, it's their loss. I'll get Hop back for this some other time." 

Bede bit back a smile and gathered his belongings, before automatically checking his phone as Gloria had. 

A single message from a number he didn't recognise appeared on the screen. 

_ Enjoy your date, _ it read. 

"You coming?" 

Bede jolted, his attention having been locked on the text, and he quickly shoved his phone away. 

"Of course I am," he said.

It was an effort to keep the shock from his voice as he fell into step beside Gloria. The message from an unknown number stuck in his mind. It had to be from Hop. 

_ Enjoy your date. _

Bede swallowed. Is that what this looked like? His cheeks heated as he glanced at Gloria, realising that the time they'd spent together, when viewed by anyone else, would come across as a date. 

_ Does Gloria realise that as well? _

She gave no indication of that, smiling away to herself. Bede cupped his hands to his face and breathed into his palms as though he was more focused on fighting the cold than the blush on his cheeks. He saw Gloria pause in the corner of his eyes. When he turned to face her, a flash of tartan blocked his vision for a second. She stepped close to secure her scarf around his neck, the fabric of her gloves gracing his skin and making him shudder. 

His whole body tensed. He went rigid, breath caught in his throat, as she fixed her scarf in place with an intricate weave. 

"There," she said, nodding satisfactorily. "How's that? Not so cold now?" 

Bede was definitely warmer than before, though he doubted that was because of her scarf. 

"I- Yes. Thank you." 

It carried her lingering scent, every breath of it filling his lungs, and he automatically tugged it higher to hide his blush.

She smiled. "Great! I thought you looked a bit cold." 

Gloria gave him a playful nudge with her arm, beckoning him to follow as she continued towards the row of coffee trucks and street food vans. Long lines snaked away from each of them as the smell of hot coffee and warm food enticed people from all around. 

Bede caught the grimace on Gloria's face as she spied the slow shuffle of the lines. 

"What would you like?" he asked, keeping his gaze on the coffee van. "I'll order for you. There's no point in both of us waiting in line." 

"Are you sure?" She swung her bag around and began to dig for her wallet. "Here, I'll give you some money-"

"It's my treat."

A pause. He cleared his throat, felt her eyes on him. Felt his cheeks warm. 

"What do you want?" he asked again. 

"Oh, um, a hot chocolate, please." Upon gasping, she added, "with marshmallows too! Make sure they put marshmallows in it!" 

Bede grinned at her beneath the veil of Gloria's scarf, muffling his laugh. "Sure. Hot chocolate with marshmallow it is." 

Thanks!" 

She beamed in delight, and it was enough to make him turn away and march towards the van before his entire face flushed with heat. Her delight was so simple. Easy to please, to make her smile, and it was worth it every time. 

It was worth trudging through the snow and ice to skate on a frozen lake with her. It was worth waiting in line amongst a crowd of impatient, shuffling bodies, to buy her a drink that'd make her happy. 

It didn't matter what it was- Bede found that when it came to Gloria, it was worth it.

After suffering in line for what could've been an eternity, he finally reached the front and ordered a hot chocolate - with marshmallows - for Gloria, and a mocha for himself. He paid swiftly and soon headed back to her with their drinks in hand. 

Her face lit up as he approached. She was so bright- her brown eyes twinkled with anticipation, smile more dazzling than the blinding snow. Bede quickly shoved her drink towards her and looked elsewhere. 

"Mm, thanks Bede!" she chimed, relishing in the warmth bleeding into her hands through the takeaway cup. She brought it to her lips, humming to herself, and slowly took a sip. 

"Oh, hang on- I think this is yours," she said, blinking in surprise. "You ordered a mocha, right?" 

Bede's heart flopped. He looked down at the cup in his hands, the letters 'HC' written on the lid. 

He'd given her the wrong drink. 

More than that- she'd already taken a sip from his. 

"Here." Gloria held out his mocha, her free hand reaching for her hot chocolate. "Don't worry, I only had a small sip!" 

That wasn't the problem. That was far from it, a whole entire world away from the issue staring back at him. Around the opening of his drink was a pale pink mark in the impression of Gloria's lips. Pale enough that she remained blissfully unaware of the smear she'd left behind. 

Gloria hummed again, absolutely content as she sipped away at her hot chocolate. Bede swallowed. His mouth, his throat, had gone horribly dry. He couldn't take his eyes off the curve of her lips that she'd impressed on the lid of his drink. 

How was he supposed to drink this now?! 

"Something up?" 

He snapped his eyes to her when she spoke. 

"Your drink's fine, I promise. I didn't spit into it or anything, I swear!" she reassured him with a laugh. "You won't get cooties from me." 

"I know that," he huffed, and determinedly brought the cup to his lips. He made the mistake of looking at her as he did- his gaze fell to her lips as his own pressed against the faint smear of lip gloss she'd left behind. 

The mocha went down the wrong way as he imagined, unintentionally, what it would feel like to instead have his lips pressed against hers. He hacked up his drink, throat burning, tears prickling in his eyes. 

_ Of all the times to think about kissing her…!  _

"You alright?" Gloria asked as Bede cleared his throat. 

With the back of his hand pressed to his mouth, he coughed up the last dregs of the mocha from his windpipe. 

"Yeah. I'm fine." He was now, at least. Unwilling to have a repeat scenario, Bede quickly and subtly swept away the remains of her lip gloss with his thumb. 

It was still an indirect kiss, and that thought alone made his chest fill with giddy, flustered heat as he drank. 

"C'mon, there's something I wanted to show you," Gloria said. She turned on her heels, smiling, and began to head away from the lake and the direction they'd come. "I was gonna take Hop and Marnie there too, but…" 

She shrugged, nonplussed. 

"Their loss!" 

Bede walked alongside her, glancing at her as he sipped his mocha. "I thought you said you and Hop came here every year." 

_ The way she worded it, it sounded like… _

"We do, but I only found this spot recently. As far as I know, Hop doesn't know anything about it." 

_ She hadn't shown it to anyone else.  _

"Hmm." He tried to feign disinterest, as though unbothered either way, but his heart fluttered away in his chest. Elated to have something shared between just the two of them. 

Something even her best friend didn't know about. 

Bede smiled beneath her scarf, his lips tugging skyward against his will. He buried his nose in the tartan fabric as his heart, his blood, began to sing for her.

Perhaps, for a moment, he would allow himself to believe, allow himself to hope, that he was someone special to her. Special enough to share this secret with. 

"It's not too far from here," she said, and led him around towering pines. 

Snow crunched beneath their heels, then their ankles, as they trudged further and further away from the lake. 

"Are you sure you know where you're going?" Bede asked. 

There were fewer and fewer people in sight, mostly couples seeking respite away from the bustling crowds. It made Bede wonder where she was leading him- if she was aware that they were surrounded by couples locked in romantic embraces, holding hands or snuggling close for warmth. 

"Have some faith, will you?" Gloria scoffed, but her tone was light. "I actually have a sense of direction, unlike the previous Champion." 

"We'll have to see about that." 

"I know these woods like the back of my hand. I bet I could ditch you here and make it back to the train station before you could." 

She flashed him a smile, a challenging grin. Her taunt made his heart skip.

"Weren't you going to show me something?" he reminded her. 

"Yeah, we're almost there!" 

She ducked past a tree, then skirted around the edge of a rocky, snow covered mound. Bede hurried to follow, not willing to lose sight of her, and as he rounded it, he stopped with a gasp. A frozen landscape rolled out before them like a blanket. Miles and miles into the distance they could see, the Crown Tundra in all its glory preserved in blinding white. 

"This is…" Bede stepped up beside Gloria in wonder, his gaze sweeping across the view. Taking it all in. 

"It's the Crown Tundra," she said, grinning at him. Evidently pleased by his reaction. "Look, you can even see Freezington down there!" 

She leant closer to him, pointing to a cluster of tiny houses down below. Instead of following her gaze, Bede found himself enraptured by Gloria instead. She was so eager to point everything out, all the landmarks and places she could name, and the excitement on her face, in her voice, was palpable. He listened intently to her every word. To the enthusiasm in her voice. 

"So, that's why you brought me here," Bede said when she was finished. He swallowed the last of his mocha, his insides buzzing from more than the caffeine. 

"Why else did you think I would?" 

He raised an eyebrow at her, the corner of his lips lifting with amusement. "You truly haven't noticed?" 

"Noticed what?" 

"Look around us for a moment. We're not exactly alone, you see." 

His heart thumped, pounded, in his chest, but he couldn't let this slide so easily. No, he wanted to tease her. 

"It seems other people have found a different purpose for this location." 

Gloria frowned, before doing what he said and glanced around them. It wasn't long before her eyes widened. A gasp spilled from her lips, her cheeks beginning to flush. Her mouth dropped open. 

"I- that's-"

She'd finally noticed. 

"Oh, Arceus…!" Gloria exclaimed as a tight, breathless squeak. "I didn't realise-!"

"I thought as much-" he was outright grinning at her now "-as it would have been strange for you to drag me all the way out here for a secret tryst." 

She buried her face in her hands and muffled her embarrassed scream.

"Don't worry. At the moment, I believe we fit right in." He stepped closer to her, mirth coating his voice. "You're blushing hard enough that anyone would think we'd come here for the same reason as them." 

She narrowed her eyes at him over the top of her hands. Cheeks puffed, lips pursed, she pouted as furiously as the heat burning across her face. 

"I thought… I thought you would've hated that," Gloria mumbled into her hands, "people thinking that we're a-a  _ couple _ ." 

He coughed, struck by her sudden remark. "Well, as it is, I doubt anyone has recognised us, so it hardly matters either way." 

He found it increasingly difficult to look at her. 

"Besides, you were the one holding my hands earlier. This wouldn't have been the only time people might have assumed we were dating today." 

"But that- that was to help you balance!" 

"I realise that, but anyone who saw us wouldn't know that."

"So… So you think people thought we were…?" 

She pressed her lips together as her realisation, along with another wave of embarrassment and warmth, settled across her face. Her eyes swam with heat when he looked at her. Dark and burning, her gaze fixed him in place. He'd forgotten that he'd stepped close to her in the midst of his teasing, and he could make out the constellation of freckles on her flushed cheeks. Each one as unique as a snowflake, as precious as her laugh. 

"Does that bother you?" in a whisper, he spoke before he could think. He was starstruck by her eyes. The rings of brown drew him in, deep and rich like the sweetest chocolate. 

"I…" Her breath washed across his lips. "I don't know. Should it?" 

_ No, _ he wanted to answer. No, he didn't want it to bother her in the slightest. 

"You tell me," he said instead. "You're the one who brought me here. This is all on you." 

He couldn't answer for her. Above all, he wanted to know what she truly thought herself, rather than telling her how she should think. 

She struggled to meet his eyes. Her gaze shifted from his, then back again, as she nibbled on her bottom lip. When she looked away, Bede's attention fell to her mouth. To the sliver of white teeth pressing into the pink of her lips. Shiny and tantalising from the colour of her lip gloss, the very same that had imprinted on his mocha. It made him swallow. 

The urge to close the distance between them grew in his chest, and he kept it at bay by flicking his gaze elsewhere. Staring at her lips was dangerous. Too dangerous, too risky, when they were standing so close.

He really, truthfully, wanted to kiss her.

"I… I guess, since no one knows who we are," Gloria began quietly, "it doesn't really matter." 

His heart caught. "What doesn't matter?" 

He'd lost himself in his thoughts, beneath the weight of his desire to kiss her, and forgotten what they were talking about. 

"It doesn't matter if- if people think we're a couple," she said, "because no one knows it's  _ us." _

She smiled bashfully at him, slightly amused. 

"It… kinda feels like we're hiding something, doesn't it? Being out here around all these couples, but no one knows who we are…" 

She laughed, then. 

"I see what you mean," he said. "It does feel like some sort of secret. No one gives us a second glance because to them, we're mere strangers. If they knew who we were…" 

He leant closer. Lips brushing her ear. 

"Then this would be scandalous, wouldn't it?" he whispered against her cheek. 

Gloria gasped, bristling with embarrassment, and shot away from Bede as she slapped her hand over her ear. 

"You- You-!" She flushed darkly, stammering and fumbling over her words. "D-Don't do that…!" 

She shivered, her whole body trembling as a shudder coursed through her. A squeak fled her lungs. 

"Arceus, your voice in my ear, it- it…" She trailed off with a grumble, and exhaled sharply. 

Bede hadn't expected  _ that _ sort of reaction. He'd anticipated her swatting him away, scoffing at him, but not… not this.

Torn between apologising and brushing the whole thing off, he couldn't find the words to say anything at all. He felt like he'd discovered something he shouldn't have. 

"We- We should head back before it gets colder," Gloria said quietly. "If we leave it too late, the trains will be packed." 

"Right. Good idea." He couldn't keep his eyes off her. His blood buzzed and crackled through his veins like lightning, set ablaze by the flush on her cheeks. 

She turned and shuffled off in the direction they'd come from, and Bede caught up with her with a few quick strides. Heat thrummed through his body just being beside her. The biting wind couldn't touch him in the slightest when Gloria's presence warmed him from the inside out, and he wouldn't have minded staying in the cold if it meant this moment, this time with her, would last even a few seconds longer. 

"Thanks for coming along, Bede," she said as they neared the train station. "Sorry that Hop and Marnie ditched us, though. I have no idea where they got off to, but I'm going to give Hop a piece of my mind when I find him." 

"That didn't bother me at all," Bede said, shrugging. "I came because you invited me, after all. If anything, I suppose I… enjoyed myself a bit more with it being just the two of us." 

He said that last part quietly. Under his breath, muffled by the scarf - Gloria's scarf - that'd he'd tugged up to cover the bottom half of his face. 

She tilted her head to look at him, her eyes widening slightly. Surprise, and something more, something soft and curious, swept behind her eyes. 

"What was that?" she asked. "That last bit - I didn't quite catch that." 

Perhaps that's for the best, he thought. He wasn't sure his heart would last much longer if she'd actually heard him. 

"Forget it. It doesn't matter." 

She frowned, dejected. "Aw, but Bede- ah!" 

It happened in a flash. Slick ice beneath Gloria's foot sent her sprawling. She stumbled with a shriek, and Bede reacted instinctively, lunging forward to catch her. 

Except there was more ice under his feet. Gloria's forehead cracked into his collarbone as she slammed into him, toppling them both over on the slippery ice. Bede landed hard on his backside, managing to save his head from another encounter with the ground, and grunted as Gloria fell on top of him. 

For a moment, they both winced in pain. Gloria held her forehead, groaning in her throat, before she realised what she'd hit. What - and who - she'd landed on. 

"S-Sorry!" she squeaked, and tried to jump to her feet. Her shoes skidded, slipped, and she face-planted right on Bede's chest again. 

"Just- Just hang on a second, would you?!" Bede chided her. Heat surged up his neck as she fumbled to peel herself off his chest, sending his heart into a thunderous rhythm. 

"Sorry…!" She propped herself up by steading her hands on his shoulders, and settled on her knees between his legs. "There's ice beneath us," she pointed out, before snatching her hands back. 

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," Bede huffed lightly. 

She grumbled at him, the pout on her face more adorable than fierce. It softened Bede's heart, melting something inside him, and he reached out without thinking. 

"Are you alright?" he asked. He brushed her fringe to the side gingerly, inspecting the sight where she'd cracked her head against him. "You hit your forehead, didn't you?" 

Her eyes skipped away from him at his touch. "Y-Yeah. It's not too sore, or anything. Sorry for, uh, slamming into you." 

He let his fingers linger on her brow for a few seconds longer, his heart pounding in his ears. She was staring at her knees. A warm, rosy glow flushed her cheeks, her lips pursed together in embarrassment. 

"Don't worry," he said. His voice was quiet, tender. "I knew you'd fall for me one day." 

Gloria snorted. "Arceus, Bede!" She smacked his shoulder lightly as she broke into laughter. "I guess we've fallen for each other, then, since I caught you earlier!" 

Her joke made his heart thump, and Arceus, she had no idea how close to the truth she was. 

Bede breathed a laugh. His lungs felt light, giddy too. "May I remind you that I had little choice in the matter? If anything, you were the one that forced me to fall for you." 

"Hey, but I caught you!" She poked his chest with her index finger for emphasis. "That's better than letting us both hit the ground." 

"This was entirely unplanned. If I'd wanted to make you fall for me, I would've done it properly." 

There was more to his words than she realised, and she rolled her eyes, completely missing the sincerity, the insinuation, hidden beneath his laugh. 

"Come on, let's get off the ice," she said, shaking her head as if exasperated, though a smile remained on her face. 

Gloria got to her feet before he did, managing to stand without aid. She quickly shuffled off the ice, and Bede followed suit. Thankfully, they made it to the train station before they were too packed, and stood side by side as it departed for Wedgehurst.

She looked surprised when he followed her off the train at Wedgehurst, and he disguised his intent with a quick excuse. 

"It'll be quicker for me to catch a Sky Taxi from here to Ballonlea," he said, gesturing with his phone. 

In actual fact, he just didn't want to rush their goodbye, to have that moment completed hastily in the carriage of a train. He hadn't gotten used to her hugs just yet, and wanted to savour them as much as he could. It was still new, still daunting. 

It still managed to fluster him and, outside the train station, they had less of an audience. 

"That makes sense," Gloria said with a nod. "I'm just gonna walk to Postwick, since it's not far." 

His heart began to thump faster. Louder. Harder. He tugged the scarf higher again, realising then that he was still wearing it. 

"Thank you for lending me your scarf," he said, and unravelled it from around his neck. 

She took it back with a bright smile. "That's okay! I'm glad I could help prevent you from freezing out there." 

"I still don't understand the appeal of any sort of winter sport, but I must admit it wasn't  _ too bad."  _

"I'll win you over next year, just you wait!" 

She was so confident, so self assured, it made Bede believe that she might possibly be right. 

"We'll see about that," he said. 

Gloria laughed. "Oh, we will. I'll make sure of it." 

With that declaration, she stepped up to him for one of her signature, goodbye hugs. She lifted up on her toes so she could rest her head against his shoulder, and nuzzled into his warmth. It sent Bede's heart skipping away in his chest, and he was suddenly glad that he'd worn so many layers. Even with his heart pounding like a drum, there was little chance she'd be able to feel it, and he could delight in her embrace without a worry. 

When she stepped away, he immediately missed her warmth. 

"See you later, Bede," she said. "I know I said this before, but I'm really glad you came." 

His lips twitched into a smile that he couldn't fight back. A smile he let linger, one that contained all that he'd felt for her today and more, one that said everything he couldn't he couldn't fit into the three, final words he said to her before they parted.

"So am I." 


End file.
